Avatar: The Hidden Lineage
by kyuubigan
Summary: The story is over, and peace has been brought to the world. But a shocking discovery will rock Aang and his friends to their cores...
1. Chapter 1

Greetings, ladies and gentlemen! I have recently hit a writer's block on my Naruto fanfic _The Beginning_. I heard from a reliable source that writing another story well help to get my head straight again. So I decided to write a story that has been in my head for quite some time, and is probably the cause of my writer's block. This is an Avatar: The Last Airbender story, and will be a bit different from _The Beginning_ both in tone and writing style. Well, enough of my ranting. Please enjoy!!

Disclaimer-I do not own Avatar. Brian and Mike do.

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As the couple watched the sunset, the reality of things began to set in. The war was over, and peace would reign once again. Katara sighed wistfully as she leaned a bit more on her boyfriend's shoulder. Despite his size, Aang was always so strong...

"Avatar!!"

The couple jerked their heads simultaneously towards the direction they heard the shout come from. And their face froze in shock. Standing just down the road was a man probably no taller than Zuko. His light brown hair swayed with the breeze, a pair of blue-grey eyes flickering behind his bangs. A thin yet round jaw supported a slight grimace, and what appeared to be a war-torn traveler's outfit and cloak caked with mud and blood adorned his lithe, muscular figure. The picture was completed by a battered old walking staff, which the man was using to support most of his weight on. The man spoke again as his grimace turned to relief, his voice dry and raspy.

"Thank the spirits..."

And with that his eyes rolled up and he collapsed, his staff falling next to him with an ominous clanking noise. An instant later Katara and Aang were at the man's side. As Katara began to apply her waterbending to heal the man, she was shocked to find that the man was actually a boy no older than Zuko. She also noted that the teen's body was riddled with cuts, bruises, and burns. But that paled in comparison to his internal injuries, which were so extensive that Katara eyes teared as she realized that the boy probably wouldn't live to see tomorrow.

Sensing the commotion, the others in Iroh's tea shop rushed outside. Seeing the crumpled form, Sokka immediately took on the role of coordinator.

"Suki, Mai, go inside and get the medical supplies! Iroh, you fetch the doctor. Toph, separate the section of stone he's laying on from the road so me and Zuko can carry him in without moving him too much."

The group quickly sprang into action. It was hard to argue with Sokka when he used his 'commander voice'. Iroh dashed down the road while Suki and Mai hurried back inside. A stomp from Toph and some muscle from Zuko and Sokka put the dying man on the main table in Iroh's tea shop. Katara once again started her healing, though she figured it was hopeless. Her watery blue eyes wondered to the teen's face as she wondered who he was and what he wanted.

A moment later Iroh came in with the doctor. The physician, a former Earth Army medic in his mid-fifties with graying hair and defined features, quickly rushed to his patient's side. Katara stared in awe as the older man quickly and efficiently wrapped the boy's injuries in medicated bandages. The silence in the room was overwhelming, only interrupted by the doctor's gruff demands for medical supplies and one of the boy's ribs being snapped back into place. The sound of that made everyone but the doctor wince. Katara could only do as she was told, while the others simply observed the spectacle.

Sokka, Zuko, Iroh, Mai and Toph all watched with neutral expressions, though Sokka's body language told everyone how worried he was. Suki leaned on Sokka for support, her face showing that she was clearly concerned. Sokka responded by wrapping his arm around her waist in a comforting gesture, an action Zuko repeated with Mai. After nearly half an hour, the old doctor straightened his posture with an audible crack, wiped his brow, and announced that the young stranger was going to pull through.

All the tension in the room evaporated as clear signs of relief appeared on everyone's faces. Katara's face reddened a little as the doctor praised her immediate treatments, while Aang looked on proudly. As the doctor moved on to talk to Iroh, the rest of the group crowded around the unconscious boy. With all his wounds dressed the teen resembled a half-completed mummy. The teens face now had more color than before, and his chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

Iroh cleared his throat, telling the teens to give the patient some space. He spoke in that sagely manner that he was famous for.

"The doctor said that the boy needs plenty of rest and probably won't wake up for at least a week. Until then he will stay in the back." He then turned to face the waterbender of the group, "Katara, the doctor said to periodically use waterbending to heal his chest area. Apparently, that broken rib punctured a lung. Now Zuko, give me a hand."

With that Iroh and his nephew carefully hoisted the boy and carried him out of sight, leaving the rest of the group alone to discuss the stranger.

"You do you think he is?" Katara asked.

"I dunno," Aang muttered, a look of confusion on his face, "I've never seen him before, but he seemed so, so..."

"Familiar," Suki finished.

"Yeah, me too," Sokka interjected, rubbing his chin in thought, "and judging from his injuries it looked like he tried to take on the entire Fire Nation."

"And they were already healing," Katara added, "Meaning that they weren't recent. But with those internal injuries I'm surprised he was still conscious, let alone mobile."

The conversation continued on like this until the sun had left the sky, and they all decided to turn in for the night. Little did they know the shock they were to receive in the next couple of days...


	2. The Stranger

Disclaimer-I don't own Avatar. It belongs to Bryan and Mike.

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**Chapter 1:**

**The Stranger**

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He woke up with a start.

His grey-blue eyes flew open, quickly darting around to survey his surroundings. He found himself in what appeared to be a storage room in some sort of shop. His curiosity was soon rewarded with a splitting headache. He groaned in pain, and tried to shield his eyes from the light of the single window in the room. A pain shot through his arm, and he realized that he was wrapped in a multitude of bandages. A moment later, an stout old man with a long beard entered the small room. His eyes held a gentle mirth, and his smile seemed to warm the entire room. The old man slowly walked over to the bed and kneeled down to his eye level. In his hands was a tray with a steaming cup.

"You must be thirsty. I hope you like jasmine tea."

He merely nodded in response to the sagely voice, his throat too parched to speak. He tried to sit up, but a new wave of pain coursed through his body. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the sting of tears. When he felt a gentle pressure help sit him up, he opened his eyes to see the old man assisting him. Now he was sitting up, but the pain remained. He slowly took the cup the old man offered, and downed the hot savory liquid. The young man blinked his eyes to clear them of drowsiness. He began to move his limbs experimentally, but was quickly met with pain and stiffness throughout his body.

"How l-long have I been out," the young man asked hoarsly.

"A few days. You almost didn't survive."

"Is he awake?"

Both the old man and the teenager turned their heads to see a young woman in her mid teens. The young man remembered her as the girl with the Avatar before he blacked out. Her dark skin, brown hair, and cobalt eyes reflected a Water Tribe heritage. She moved with the practiced grace that only master Waterbenders could achieve, revealing that the girl was much more than what she appeared. With a wave of her hand, a small mass of water moved from a nearby basin to envelope her hands. The water then began to glow as she placed her hands on the teenager's chest. The teenager shivered a little at the cold water, but a soothing sensation ran throughout his entire torso. The Water Tribe maiden spoke.

"When you came here, one of your ribs was broken and had pierced your lung. What I'm doing right now is helping to accelerate the healing process of your lung tissue. I've been doing this periodically while you were unconscious."

"Thank you," the boy whispered, obviously still parched.

"No problem. I'm just glad I could help. So what's your name?"

"R-Ruishi," the teen responded.

"Glad to meet you. I'm Katara, and this is Iroh."

The teenager bowed his head to the old man who returned it. The teen hummed in appreciation of the Waterbender's ministrations. Moments later a young boy about the age of twelve poked his head in. The boy wore full saffron yellow robes, and arrow tattoos on his head and hands. The injured teen's eyes widened in surprise and recognition.

"How is h-"

"You are the Avatar?"

The Avatar looked surprised for a moment. Then his expression shifted from lighthearted to serious, his grey-blue eyes turning to steel. It was obvious to Ruishi that he had the attention of the planet's spirit in human form.

"Yes. What can I help you with?"

Ruishi took a deep breathe, and uttered the words that would change history.

"You are not the last Airbender."

At that, Ruishi lifted a shaky arm and gently twirled his hand at the wrist.

A light breeze filled the small room. The Avatar stood still in apparent shock as his robes swayed lightly. Katara held her hands to her mouth, and Iroh's eyes went wide. Ruishi grunted as his hand dropped, and the breeze died. The inhabitants of the room were dead silent for what seemed like an eternity. Katara gasped in realization.

"That's why you looked so familiar! You look like Aang! Like an Airbender!"

Ruishi could feel the Avatar's penetrating gaze on him, and he knew that the young boy was looking for physical similarities. After a long pause, a small smile crept on Aang's face. Tears began burning trails down the Avatar's face. Aang continued his questioning.

"Are there any others?"

Ruishi didn't answer right away. Then a big grin materialized on the older teen's face.

"There could be thousands. Thousands of Airbenders ignorant of their abilities or heritage."

"How?," the Avatar croaked, his voice writhing with emotion.

"Survivors of the genocide a hundred years ago is my guess. They must have went into hiding, started families, and passed on their abilities."

At that Aang fell to his knees, and Katara swept to his side in an instant. Ruishi looked on, seeing the Avatar in such a vulnerable state reminded him that the boy was only twelve. A twelve year old child responsible for bringing balance to the world. Iroh seemed to finally find his voice, for he spoke up then.

"If this is the case, then we must seek out and identify these Airbenders as soon as possible. With their help, the Air Nomads society could be rebuilt within one or two generations. Aang will lay the spiritual groundwork, seeing as he is the only one alive who remembers the old ways of the Air Nomads. And through their combined efforts, the balance of the world will be restored."

"Iroh's right," Aang proclaimed, regaining his composure, "It's my duty as the Avatar to bring balance to the world and find these other Airbenders."

"Umm...," Everyone's attention turned to Ruishi, "There was another reason why I seeked you out."

"Yes," Aang answered calmly.

Ruishi shoved himself onto his feet, his stance swaying in pain and stiffness. After steadying himself with Iroh and Katara's help, the older teen bowed deeply to the Avatar.

"I want to help you, Avatar Aang. But in order to do that, I need to learn Airbending...," Ruishi mumbled the last part, but Aang heard clearly.

"I would be honored to teach you," Aang said bowing back, before a goofy grin plastered itself on Aang's face, "Hey! Now I'm finally going to get to be the teacher!"

Everyone in the room chuckled at Aang's antics, and Ruishi felt a glimmer of hope. Until Aang tripped on his own feet while dancing around in jubilation.

Ruishi sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought. After all, the Avatar was still just a child.

"What the heck is going on in here?"

Everyone turned their gazes towards the door, only to see a girl about Aang's age. Her black hair was done up in a large bun, with her bangs draping over a pair of blind eyes. Her posture screamed confidence and rebelliousness. Her blind gaze turned to Ruishi, then to Aang, then back to Ruichi. She had a look of confusion on her face.

"Okay. Either I'm losing my touch, or there are two Twinkle-Toes in this room right now."

Another man entered the room behind the blind girl. He was a Water Tribe native, like Katara, though he was closer to Ruishi's age. He held a black-bladed sword in his hand, waving it around excitedly.

"Hey guys! Look what I found in this guy's stu-"

The Tribesmen's eyes widened on seeing Ruishi was conscious, obviously embarrassed about snooping around a person's belongings. But Ruishi just smirked.

"So that belonged to you? That thing fell from the sky and almost impaled me."

Sokka blushed in embarrassment, but still looked glad to have his sword back.

"So you were at the battle?"

Ruishi looked up to see a girl with short brown hair and green eyes poked her head in, looking quite intently at Ruishi.

"I was a witness, yes. Why do you ask?"

Before the girl could respond, Katara began shooing everybody out of the small room.

"A man with his injuries needs rest! Everybody out!"

Ruishi was slightly grateful for the interruption. The Airbending, however slight, had seriously drained him. He took a resting position on the bed and let sleep take him.

----------------------------------_Two Weeks Later_----------------------------------

Ruishi stretched to rid himself of the stiffness of laying in a bed for two and a half weeks. Ruishi was just glad he could move around again. He quickly dressed himself in a pair of black slacks and a olive drab vest over his scarred chest. He left the little room, walking into the main area of Iroh's tea shop. During his two week internment, Ruishi had gotten to know the rest of the Avatar's friends. He was surprised to see Fire Lord Zuko among them, but he quickly got used to being around him. Actually, he and Zuko got along pretty well. Their similar age and experiences helped to jump start a friendship, and they often agreed on several issues. Though Zuko's girlfriend Mai _really_ needed to loosen up.

He and Toph, the blind girl, also struck up a friendship. Though the girl's attitude was often a problem, Ruishi was able to deal with it. Sokka, who turned out to be Katara's older brother, was a nice enough fellow. Though behind his goofy, sarcastic demeanor lay a sharp mind and fierce determination. Sokka's girlfriend Suki was also kind in her own way, but she was also a skilled warrior. Katara seemed to be the mother hen of the group, and it wasn't long before Ruishi found himself being bossed around the Waterbender. She was a really nice person, she just let her motherly instincts take over a bit too often.

Ruishi bonded with Aang throughout these past couple of weeks. During his recovery time, Aang began to regal him on the basic principle's of Air Nomad society. The way the Avatar told the stories of the past was mesmerizing, and soon Ruishi's emotions flowed with the story. Aang also informed him on the basics of Airbending. Airbending was about dodging rotation, and mobility, and was almost exclusively defensive. Sacrificing offensive measures was something that Ruishi knew would be difficult for him. But he'd manage somehow. Plus the use of a staff would make things much easier.

He stretched his stiff shoulders as he sat down at a table. He looked around. Zuko and Mai were sitting together, both silent and stoic. Sokka was doing some work on his sword while Suki looked on. Toph was picking her toes. Katara was helping Iroh prepare breakfast. Aang was sitting on the edge of his seat, eager for breakfast.

"Well look who's up," Toph commented, which caused everyone else to focus on Ruishi as he sat down.

"Feeling better?," Iroh asked as he poured tea for everyone.

"Much better, thank you," Ruishi responded, rolling his shoulder,"But I'm still a little stiff. I've _never _sat in one place like that for so long."

"You should still take it easy," Katara chided, "You need to ease back into exercise. Too much strenuous activity too soon could strain your body."

"I understand. But is light training just fine?"

"Sure. As long as you don't overdo it."

Ruishi nodded, taking a sip from his teacup. He was eager to start his Airbending training, but he didn't want to injure himself either. Breakfast was served and everyone ate amid amiable chatter.

"So Ruishi, whats your story? Why are you here?," Toph asked through a mouthful of eggs. Ruishi breathed deeply, taking in the smells of the food around him.

"Well, I don't know where I was born, nor do I know my father. But I was raised in Omashu doing errands for a cabbage salesmen. At least until it was occupied by the Fire Nation. Before the occupation, my mother told me about my heritage. Turns out that one of my ancestors was an Air Nomad that escaped the massacre. When I heard that, I figured there must be more like me. Thinking that, I left Omashu in search of other Airbenders. When I overheard some Fire Nation soldiers talking about the Avatar, I knew I had to find you."

Everyone went quiet for a moment, all reflecting on the new information. Even Sokka was quiet for a while. Until he added his own question.

"How did you get so injured?"

"Being crushed under a downed Fire Nation airship."

"My bad," Sokka squeaked, rubbing the back of his neck.

Ruishi waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, indicating that he thought nothing of it. The rest of the meal was comfortable, with the occasional question to Ruishi, which he answered pleasantly. After breakfast was over, Aang led Ruishi out of the building. The both of them grabbed their staves on the way. After a short walk, they were facing each other in some sort of arena behind the shop. It was a little elevated, and had a beautiful view of Ba Sing Sa. Ruishi and Aang stood at opposite ends, with everyone else watching on the side. When everyone watching, Aang addressed Ruishi.

"Alright Ruishi. Before I teach you Airbending, I need to know what you can do. That's why were going to have a quick spar. Feel free to use any bending. I'll bend only in defense. Iroh will serve as judge."

Ruishi nodded, shrugging off the vest leaving him shirtless. Aang pulled off the top layers of his robes, leaving him shirtless in a pair of brown pants wrapped in orange silk at the waist and ankles. Ruishi eyed the blue arrow tattoos running up Aangs back. The branched off to lead down to his hands and wrapped over his head. Both of them took their stances. Aang held his staff in both hands in front of him. Ruishi held his behind him with one hand, the other hand straight forward in a three fingered 'L' shape. Iroh looked back and forth between the two fighters. As he raised his hand, both fighters tensed.

Iroh's hand came down.

Ruishi opened with a high speed charge, thrusting his staff at Aang's stomach. Aang twirled out of the way, then was forced to bend back to avoid a vicious left hook. The Avatar quickly snapped forward, somersaulting forward. Aang launched a gust of wind from his foot as came to a standing position, which his opponent batted away with his staff.

As the fight continued, the audience made comments about the match.

"Is it just me or his Aang weaker than usual?," Sokka asked.

"It's not that Aang is weaker. Ruishi is stronger. After all, it's a fight between a twelve year old and a man in his mid teens," Iroh answered, stroking his beard,"Ruishi is more developed physically and mentally than Aang. Plus, Ruishi seems to be much more experienced in combat than Aang. Though if this were a real fight, Aang could easily defeat Ruishi,"

Sokka stayed silent, satisfied with the reason the older man gave. The audience fell in silence as Ruishi launched a powerful overhead strike with his staff. Aang blocked the attack, staggering at the force of the blow. Ruishi pressed his advantage, going into a series of spinning staff strikes. The Avatar quickly flipped backwards, sending a column of air into Ruishi's abdomen in mid leap. The force of the blow sent the older boy flying, landing on his back near the edge of the arena. At Ruishi's groan of pain Iroh stepped in while Katara hurried to the older boy. Ruishi waved her off, kipping up to his feet. He looked at Aang for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

"Good move, Avatar. Didn't expect it. What do you think of my skills?," Aang tilted his head in thought.

"You definitely have the footwork and mobility. But your too aggressive. Airbending is passive, and defensive. You're basically attacking too much. Aggression can actually hamper your ability to bend. Airbending isn't about defeating your opponent with force," Ruishi looked to the ground, his expression showing contemplation and self analysis. He looked up after a moment.

"No problem. I'm willing to do what it takes to learn," Aang smiled broadly at his new student's ability to accept his own faults and be ready to correct them.

"What do you want me to work on, sifu Aang," Aang's smile widened.

Teaching Ruishi was going to be a blast.


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